By now most of you know the Kate Steinle story. I'm not going into the details because it's just plain old mother of all tragedies. You've already heard about it countless times.
I don't want comments about the illegal immigration debate. It's not the time. The poor woman had just died; the most senseless victim of something so horrible, so tragic, so unspeakably terrible. Like many of you I feel for the family. The family lost a daughter. Her brother lost a sister. The sister who will not be able to, as he pointed out, see his wife's newborn baby. Tearful as they are I want to read and see more of these stories, not a bunch of screaming maniacs and insensitive carps ranting and raving about illegals and illegal aliens. Those issues can be debated in the future. Now is not the time.
Which brings me back to Kate Steinle. I want to know more about Kate. I know she was from Pleasanton and most recently lived in the city and that she sold medical equipment. I want to know more about what she liked and didn't like. I would love, at a future time, to know about her family and friends. I can't imagine what they're going through right now. Yes, I know, unfortunately, that there's thousands of people like Kate who die every day, some more violent than others, so I'm not lessening their lives, I'm just reacting to Kate Steinle because it's so very much, still, on my mind; I don't think I'm alone.
I'm not happy with the Bay Area News Media and the matter with which this horrible story has gone down. The national media is no better. Donald Trump, Bill O'Reilly, as I said, we know how they go so it's no surprise they're acting like a bunch of dicks. That's always been their M.O.
Granted, this is a tough story to report. But since when did humanity take a second seat to crass and incredible sensationalism. I saw the KGO-TV jailhouse interview. I don't care about the bad guy. From a news standpoint, yeah, I get it, it's a legitimate story but I don't care about that man, he's lost and about to enter hell himself. Good riddance.
I was massively irritated that the KGO reporter had the balls; the collective chutzpah to say at the end of the report that "the Steinle family was contacted for comment." I'm paraphrasing but I heard something like those words. "Comments?" For crying out loud, what would you expect the family to say? Common sense would indicate that a grieving family that only three days removed from their daughter dying in her father's arms would be off limits, call me crazy. Just outrageous. A whole lot of noise. Noise from all over but the nosiest here in this city.
My god, heaven help us.
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I may have missed it, but has any reporter inquired of Ross Mirkarimi's opponent in the sheriff's race(Vicky Hennessey) how she would have handled this case differently?There are many layers to this obviously tragic killing. The suspect didn't have violent felonies in the last sever years. He was busted on pot charges. Mayor Lee says the sheriff(whom he has tried repeatedly to destroy politically) should have used his discretion differently.The irony is that Lee, Gascon, et. al have all supported the sanctuary city bullcrap which prevents turning in pot offenders who are also illegals...to the feds. As for the jailhouse interview, there was nothing journalistically wrong about that interview. The family of the young woman is appalled at Donald Trump's misappropriation of the story. You should never assume that family members of a murdered person don't wish to be contacted about any and all issues. You ask, in any event.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, Christine, you just made my entire point.
DeleteNot an entire word about the victim.
Checkmate.
No surprise. If the victim had been a pit bull, mentally ill Christine Craft would have made it a point to mention the poor canine.
DeleteBoy, you said it, Rich! Completely & concisely in 2 short sentences. You put that hideous Christine Craft in her place! As Jared used to say, "Who wants my sandwiches?"
DeleteHey, Christine. I know you meant better, but "The suspect didn't have violent felonies in the last sever years." This is why you are a dink more often then not. "last sever years." Learn to type and spell, please? Thanks.
Delete"I want to know more about Kate. I know she was from Pleasanton and most recently lived in the city and that she sold medical equipment. I want to know more about what she liked and didn't like. I would love, at a future time, to know about her family and friends."
ReplyDeleteWhy?
Because she seemed like a very cool person who was taken from this world much too soon. I'm curious. You have a right not to be. Good day.
DeleteSo you think it's especially newsworthy because "she seemed like a very cool person ."
DeleteThey teach that a journalism school?
I was using a general term, schmuck, --precisely why I would want to learn more about her, the victim.
DeleteHave a lovely day.
Amen Richard, I'm surprised you did not report on ABC's Lyanne Melendez who appropriated the #ourlivesmatter after news crews were robbed on Pier 14. Check her facebook page, she was forced to apologize after attacking Oakland for the crime which occurred in SF. I also think it is odd that the same right wingers who said people were "exploiting" the church shooting in SC are now exploiting this tragedy for political purposes. For God's sakes the least people can do is listen to the family. They are grieving and clearly stated: "DON'T USE THE TRAGEDY FOR POLITICAL GAIN". Keep up the great work. Dammit we need you on ksco. The old fool Charles Freedman is driving me nuts.
ReplyDeleteThis was a big screw up and a huge PR disaster. Lyanne Melendez had the audacity to single out Oakland as a crime mecca and appropriate the "OurLivesMatter" hashtag- something that was created and adopted after the senseless KILLINGS of black people. Sorry, no one deserves a crime perpetrated on them, but a person got their camera stolen... OKAY. No one was really hurt. No one was shot in the back, choked, and couldn't breathe covering the Pier 14 story.
DeleteThis is the EXACT problem specifically with SF media. The bosses hire a bunch of snobby, elitist bobbleheads who would not step foot in Oakland unless they are paid atleast union minimum wage to do so. They don't care about these communities. The lack of color on channels like KPIX and KGO is sickening, and when they do hire a "token", it's usually someone from out of town who knows nothing about and cares nothing about the local market.
Wow, she really said that? How can she possibly provide unbiased reporting on Oakland? I can't even articulate how disgusting this is. Take a tragic event and spew some ish like that. Do any of these people have an ounce of class?
DeleteStriking that Lieberman can criticize sensationalism while doing that very same thing.
ReplyDeleteExplain, Mr. Anonymous.
DeleteThis post is PURE SENSATIONALISM. A woman died because of a tragic, stupid, criminal act. The details were thoroughly covered by the local news media.
DeleteWhy else are you displaying her picture here with all your accompanying ;phony indignation except for its sensational impact?
You wanted an answer, that's my answer, please post.
Yeah, and you're a dick too.
DeleteHave a nice day.
C'mon Rich, you can take criticism without resorting to name-calling.
DeleteChristine - if you are so hot at news judgement, why aren't you on KGO more or, better, the much needed news director? You have balls, you one way trick pony. If it leans left, to you, it leads. You are an imbecile. No wonder you're stuck in a box until KGO desperately needs you to keep you union card alive. Rich is right on this. Trump may be an idiot on his rant, but he at least got it right in this case. Since when did ICE do deportations on pot possession situations in a liberal sanctuary city -- let alone five times? I'm betting it was more than that Imbecile, I tell you.
ReplyDeletePlease, go on a nice long picnic with your boy Bernie. You're no criminal former attorney, thank goodness.
Dear 1pm...news 'judgement"?Are you sure about that? Back to those ESL classes, so you can understand the story.
DeleteI am not a "criminal former attorney" and on that you are right. See calbar.
Right. There is no such thing as felony marijuana convictions in San Francisco, so the convictions had to be based on something else, something even the liberals in San Francisco would find egregious.
Delete1:00pm
DeleteLA Times reported about an hour ago that the gun Mr. Sanchez used to kill this lady was OWNED BY A FEDERAL AGENT!
the plot thickens...
with all those deportations on pot charges, he could be a mule/snitch who ripped off his DEA handler. or something...one things for sure, the script has flipped with this latest revelation.
to that end, I think Rich is on to something about this girl. I'm sure a good police detective is trying to find out everything about her to see if she was possibly a target.
Lots of plausible scenarios out there, but now they have to fit a new narrative: The gun used in this killing was a Federal Agents.
Psssst, Christine. Pay attention: "Most dictionaries list both as acceptable spellings of the word.judgment and judgement." Look it up. Thank you.
DeleteI don't know who the writer was who used the word, but "judgement" is considered the more formal spelling form for the word. It is used often in legal briefs and case law.
Delete11:55..you have it precisely ....wrong. Lawyers, including this one, use "judgment" thusly.
Deletedear 11:55... please see the grammarist...You can find it by googling
Deletelegal brief spelling of judgment. Your assertion is just wrong.
Poor coverage of the murder? How many are in Mirkarimi's pocket? Only SF voters can make a change in how the city is protected and presented.
ReplyDeleteYou can't be trying to save that the alleged poor coverage is because someone is "in Mirkarimi's pocket?"
DeleteWho is in Mirkarimi's pocket?
Thanks, Rich. Very eloquent and to the point. With heart.
ReplyDeleteCouldn't agree with you more Rich. People's lives and their families matter most. Politics should always come second. Excellent post today my friend. Keep 'em coming!
ReplyDeleteI don't know how the police officers who arrested this douchebag didn't put a couple bullets in his head. (To professional)
ReplyDeleteI know her family grandparents and dad where from Ohio. Greenfield Ohio.
Anon@3:04, Brilliant idea to have law enforcement officers murder suspects in criminal investigations.
Delete3:04 is the usual "law and order" right winger who at the same time wants to eschew the law and wants suspects executed by the cops. Please moron go with Trump in the presidential race so we can have Clinton win in a landslide.
DeleteHow is this any worse than the Democratic Party War on Women, murder by illegal alien?
Delete3:04 is the usual "law and order" right winger who at the same time wants to eschew the law and wants suspects executed by the cops. Please moron go with Trump in the presidential race so we can have Clinton win in a landslide.
DeleteLiberalism is an extreme mental disorder!
KGO-TV website and SFGate are shamelessly using this tragedy as click-bait. Fuck those two outlets. So scummy.
ReplyDeleteAnd another thing, as big a tragedy as this is, I can't shake the feeling that this story wouldn't be getting the buzz had the victim been a woman of color and the shooter been a white guy. Not to get all Stan here, but I'm thinking the fact that Kate Steinle was so pretty is why this wasn't reported as just another random act of violence.
No, race-carder, it's because she was shot on the Embarcadero in front of the Ferry Building, where so many tourists go (in a tourist town!), it was in broad daylight, and the murderer was a multiple felon who had not been deported.
Delete@6:31, keep telling yourself that.
DeleteThe murderous killer has two high profile skeeve lawyers.
ReplyDeleteThose two skeeve lawyers will turn the deadly killer into a helpless victim and make it look like the female victim is the criminal.
They will lie and say the filthy killer accidently found the gun and he was shooting at a deadly seal or whale in the ocean and the gun went off accidently.
And it was all a innocent mistake.
The skeeve lawyers will get a jury of 12 dopey White women who will cry when they hear the skeeve lawyers telling lies to them on how this poor and unfortunate proud Mexican came to America for freedom and a job to make America strong and the gun went off accidently.
Mark my words.
That Mexican will be found innocent by the dopey jury and be given American citizenship and then his skeeve lawyers will then sue the victim's family.
Whose fault is this?
The sheriff of San Francisco and no one else.
Every cop knows that.
The suspect is being represented by the SF Public Defenders Office just like any other criminal defendant who can't afford private counsel.
DeleteMy deepest Condolences, Thoughts & Prayers go out to Kate, & her Family. Godspeed Kate, Godspeed...
ReplyDeleteWhy is Kate any more important and deserving of coverage than all the other innocents shot in in the Bay Area?
ReplyDeleteThe local press coverage of this looks fine to me. It's the national level discussion that's ridiculous.
Why does the national press cover the few black men (often criminals) who are shot and killed by police officers (usually after the terminated had resisted arrest), yet ignore the daily black on black crime? How safe was Chicago over the Fourth of July weekend? Why doesn't that get the same coverage as criminals getting themselves terminated by running and resisting arrest?
DeleteDonny, is that you?
Delete6:33: It's covered but we get it doesn't fit into your narrative. But there is a whole cable network for white people killing each other called Discovery ID. How to kill your white wife/girlfriend/husband/boyfriend/child/business partner/neighbor. 24-hours a day. Even a couple series on rich white people killing each other. They throw in the occasional black/brown/Asian but this Bud's for white people.
DeleteI'd like to know how we reduce the odds of the same thing happening to that equally cute, cool girl who lives next door to her. To you To me.
ReplyDeleteEasy, take the guns away from the Feds.
Deleteseriously though, this story is about an Illegal immigrant who used a Federal Agents gun to murder a pretty white girl.
And then a film crew reporting on the crime got mugged and their cameras stolen.
well...nothing to see here. move along...
This incident, with the creepy career criminal illegal alien and beautiful victim taken tragically in her prime, is the Willie Horton moment for the next few years of elections. Any politican with two brain cells will be against sanctuary city BS. Newsom, Harris, and for sure Mirkarimi are in deep poo poo
ReplyDeleteO'Reilly has covered this issue responsibly -- and named the people who have blood on their hands - our wonderful leaders (ex-mayor Newsom, Harris, Jerry Brown). Just because you don't like him doesn't mean you have to resort to childish name-calling. I like your blog, but sometimes you do yourself harm by lowering yourself to this level.
ReplyDelete"blood on their hands" my ass. Sorry to burst your bubble but here we have a mentally ill person who just happens to have been born in Mexico. No different than the lunatic white trash who gunned down 9 people at the church in south carolina. One of this guy's convictions was for inhaling glue fumes. That'll mess up your brain cells faster than you can say "xenophobic bastards". Go find another case to try to win back Mexico from Aztlan putos.
Deletehttp://pleasantonweekly.com/news/2015/07/07/memorial-service-at-3-pm-thursday-in-pleasanton-for-kate-steinle
ReplyDelete